Cob Jockey

If you'll remember, I set one goal for myself for 2018: spend less on non-essential horse supplies.

My intent was two-fold: admit to myself that I already owned everything I needed to keep Connor healthy and happy, and also admit to myself that my spending in that category was out of control in 2017. Oh and #3: Pay off some debt.

How did I end up doing?

2018 is green, 2017 is yellow.

Turns out, if you give a girl some metrics, she nails it.  I spent almost precisely one tenth of what I did the year before.  And of what I did spend, 3/4 of it was on the KPG clinic.  Cause, you know, if you're going to be videoed by a Dressage magazine and ride for an Olympian, the right outfit is borderline essential spending, c'mon.

Looking the part!  PC: Leah

Adding the "necessary" and "unnecessary" tags in Mint helped me realize most of my spending wasn't on big purchases, but was on $20-$50 purchases here and there.  In fact, if you take out my top 5 non-essential horse transactions in 2017, the average price of the remaining 24 purchases was only $44!  It's amazing how those little "just one more saddle pad" purchases add up over the year.


Using the "necessary" and "unncessary" tags didn't feel burdensome.  I'd log into Mint once a week and spend a minute or two tagging the week's purchases.  And it ended up helping me rein in my spending in other areas of my life too.  Turns out it wasn't just horse stuff that was making my money disappear a little at a time!



The best part of all of this?  We paid off both the kitchen and his student loans this year!  The kitchen was a certainty but the student loans were a definite stretch goal, so that feels especially good.

Noooooo regrets

In 2019, I'll be increasing my horse show spending again, but the year of cutting back on my non-essential horse purchases has permanently changed my relationship with spending money on "stuff".  I learned to be content with what I have, to unsubscribe from all the "SALE!" mailing lists, and how easy it is to let your hard-earned money slip away one $44 purchase at a time.  I'm not saying I'll never buy a pair of breeches again, but it probably won't be until my current pairs get holes in them!

So I did some end-of-year reporting in Mint.com a few days ago.  I track all my expenses in it, and by that I mean I hop in once a week and make sure everything is categorized correctly.  Not as hard as it sounds.

I have several horse categories: Board/Lessons, Horse Shows, Farrier, and Horse Supplies.  Horse Supplies is a pretty broad category into which I throw anything that could be purchased at a tack store, so it contains everything from fly spray to breeches to tack to horse cookies.

Unrelated: Connor's Aunt Mary wearing something other than barn clothes last weekend, gasp!

So that end of year review?  In 2017, "horse supplies" was a massive number.  Embarrassing, really.  Four times what I spent on shows - and I did a lot of rated shows this year.

Now, I did buy a saddle this year, and the new trailer is included in Horse Supplies too.  (One thing that is not included - the Equisense and BoT stuff I just bought, because they never hit Mint, being spiffs).  But I still spent a ton of money, mostly one $50 SmartPak transaction at a time, on...stuff. And I hate stuff!  I'm a ruthless declutterer.

A good purchase

When my husband was un- and under-employed for three years, I asked myself "Will we die without this?" every time I thought about buying anything. While life at full employment is immeasurably better and less stressful, I miss the perspective on every dollar that time in our lives gave me.

So all that said, I'd like to challenge myself to lower that "Horse Supplies" spending category in 2018.  Specifically, I want to ask myself "Will we die without this?", or, more accurately, "Is this a medical/safety/horse health necessity?"  

Another no-regrets 2017 purchase <3

It means I'll buy his Smartpak but not a new saddle pad.  I'll get his nice halter repaired rather than buy a new one at Rolex.  I'll admit to myself that my wardrobe keeps me cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and presentable at clinics and lessons, and that's enough. 

I can't say "Horse Supplies" will be $0 this time next year because that's not how horses work, but I hope it's a fraction of what it was in 2017.  Call it a one year detox.


Here's to looking in my tack room, my closet and my grooming bag and thinking "This is enough, and I'm happy."

I never posted my goals post for this year.  I wrote the following goals as four lines of text with no descriptions and left this in the Drafts folder until today.  Not really sure why - just forgot I guess.  Anyway, here's how I did with the goals I never posted:

Pay off truck - Success!
I paid the truck off in February of 2017 and have spent the following 10 months building up my emergency fund, funding my retirement accounts and all sorts of other lame adult things.  At some point I'll start saving for my next truck, although I love this one so much, I'm in no hurry to replace it.

Nearly 13 years old and with obsessive preventative maintenance and how little driving I do (#workfromhome) I hope it goes another 5.

Fix up trailer - Success and then some!
Not only did I get it fixed up, I also sold it for what I had in it and bought the perfect trailer for me and Connor.

What I started 2017 with...

What I'm ending 2017 with.

Show 2nd Level - Success!
We showed unrated Second Level in July and squeaked by with a 60.000%.  

Our "Are we really doing this?" selfie from a couple hours before my test.

Complete a starter event
I didn't even attempt this.  My trainer had no students eventing this year what with all the upheaval from the move, so we didn't go XC schooling.  

Proof that we used to jump some legit stuff back in the day.

I was in a strange place for goal setting last year.  I hadn't yet fully committed to the idea of an all-Dressage season when I wrote my goals,  (In a lot of ways, I'm still not fully committed to that.) and I still had hope that Connor and I would event by the end of the year.  I also wasn't experienced enough (at all!) to know what to shoot for in Dressage.

So, how did I do?  From my 2016 Goals post on January 7, 2016:

- Show rated First Level Dressage
Success!  Surviving and finding success at a rated Dressage show is definitely my biggest accomplishment of 2016.

Our haul from our first rated show.  Also my all-time favorite photo of us.

- Show unrated Second Level by the end of the year
Failure, on purpose.  I had the opportunity to stumble through a Second Level test at a "hide them behind the barn" show at the end of the year that wouldn't show up on our permanent records for any association...and I decided against it.  It would have been unfair to both of us to push for that just to make this goal when we weren't really ready to do well at it.

- Take him to a schooling jumper show so Mary can show him
There's a very good and adult reason this didn't happen: after I set my goals, Mary got a great summer internship in Florida in her chosen field (UX).  She did make it back in September so we could take this picture though:

WORTH. IT.

- Trail riding with Connor's breeder and Dr. Marks
50% success!  We did haul over to Lisa's for a pony sleepover and went trail riding, but unfortunately, Dr. Marks couldn't make it.



- School XC enough that Connor gets bored at BN...maybe...hopefully...
Failure.  We focused so much on Dressage and hardly jumped at all.  I'm realistic in that if/when we return to eventing, it will be at Starter.  He hasn't completed an event since the beginning of 2015, going BN now, even with a lot of schooling, is too much to ask.  Plus, positive experiences, etc etc.

All in all, this was a good year.  It had its share of ups and downs, but we're ending the year having shown more times than ever (8 shows total!) and with a sound and happy horse.  On to 2017!

Thanks to everyone for entering my 1,000th post giveaway!  In a very funny twist, Rafflecopter chose...



The girl I just met last week!  Congratulations, Emma!  Look for your Riding Warehouse e-gift card in your inbox in the next few days.

I'm not even going to go back and look at my goals post for this year.  2015 was just one of those years - and that's okay.  I'd rather my yearly goals be blown up by landing my dream job and renovating a historic home than by something like unemployment, as they were in 2012 and 2013.

Worth everything.

So instead of looking back, I'm looking ahead to 2016.  What are we going to do in 2016?

- Show rated 1st level Dressage

I feel like I have to admit that he's got more talent here than as an eventer, and to not chase it a little bit would be foolish.  Plus we're both having fun with it.

- Show unrated 2nd level Dressage by the end of the year

- Take him to a schooling jumper show so Mary can show him

Because everyone benefits when Mary rides their horses.  (Me and Connor's first show jumping round ever, for either of us, GDHT 2013)

- Take him trail riding with Connor's breeder and Dr. Marks

This is changing my goals!

- School XC enough that Connor gets bored at BN...maybe...hopefully...

We always make it over with room to spare, but sometimes we do interpretive dance in the air over the fences.  JSHT, 2014

Note that there really aren't any eventing goals on there.  I mean, yes, I am going to event him, but probably not enough to make my USEA membership worth it (BN non-member tax is $25/event, a year's membership is about $85, so I have to do four rated events to make the membership worth it and that legitimately might not happen this year.)  I'm going to focus on Dressage and go with the flow on eventing.

I'm having a hard time with this post, because I like quantifiable goals.  I teach a running class at our gym, and I always tell my students to set a quantifiable goal (that isn't tied to weight loss).  So instead of "I want to run faster" say "I want to drop 30 seconds off of my 5k time" or "I want to run a 5k without walking this year."

But unlike last year, which had goals like "Move up to BN" (check!), our goals in 2015 are going to be almost impossible to quantify.  My position needs work before the fences get higher at home, and we're going to have our first full season at BN.  Novice isn't on our radar until he's well and truly bored at BN and not jumping XC fences like this anymore:

Repeat after me: Across, not up.  Across, not up.

So this year is all about polishing what we've got and making BN look good and feel easy for both of us:

Connor's Goals
- Not jump fences like there are sharks underneath them that he first has to investigate and then clear by a solid six feet
- Make show jumping look more like a hunter round and less out of control
- Get confirmed in First Level Dressage movements

Just because he has the scope to get over all the fences in a round like this, doesn't mean I don't also want it to look good.

Together Goals
- Go to a schooling Dressage show, if we can find a ride
- Go to a Hunter/Jumper show, ideally before the season starts
- Continue our eventing Dressage domination with no scores over 35
- Attend at least two non-rated and two rated events this season
- Jump 2'9 enough that it doesn't look massive to me anymore.
- Maybe, maybe, maybe do National Dressage Pony Cup.  That might get punted to 2016 in the interest of money and wanting to have a Dressage saddle before I seriously show Dressage, but Connor's breeder really wants me to do it, and I think it would be a lot of fun, so onto the list it goes!




Me Goals
- Fix my lower leg issues, whatever it takes
- Mobility, especially for tight hamstrings and tight left side of my back
- Remember to submit our points for WPCSA awards *facepalm*
- Finally become members of the USEA for real (didn't make financial sense until our first full season at BN, so this goal feels especially good)
- Improve the timing of my aids



Time to get to work!

March goals: Me
1. Strengthen the left side of my back and focus on shoulder straightness.  My pulled right back muscle is a direct result of being so unbalanced.

2. Wear new tall boots around the house until the calf stretches.

3. Talk to my trainer about showing plans.

March goals: Connor
1. Left bend, left bend, left bend.  Focus on relationship of my hips/ my shoulders/where Connor wants to stand underneath me.

2. Smooth leg yields in both directions

3. Get the "single line of paint" level of bend in our spiral ins and outs

March goals: Mother Nature. 1. Get warm!

Well hey, it's March and I completely forgot to post my January goals analysis and any February goals.  Oh well!

January Goals: Me
1. Get back to Crossfitting 4 days a week.  Success in January, less successful in February, because (don't laugh) I pulled a back muscle picking up my gym bag as I was leaving the house for my Olympic weightlifting class.  What a way to get injured.

2013 CrossFit Games Open

2. Spend $0 on any non-budgeted items in January.  Resounding success.  I am so out of touch with Smartpak and Dover that I don't even know what I would buy if you gave me a gift card.

3. Work up to wearing the Shoulders Back the entire work day.  Success.  I need to do a review post on this.  My posture really has improved from wearing it, and the SB helped me figure out my left shoulder problem.

4. Break in the Effingham tall boots.  This probably could have been a success, but I eventually decided I didn't want a pair of boots that my husband had to help me get out of.  I'm way too independent for that!

January Goals: Connor
1. Warm up every ride by first establishing forward, then establishing body control.  Great success!  Every stage of my warmup has a clear objective now that builds on the one before, and it's working really well for both of us.

2. Gradually increase the time spent cantering each ride, working up to 10 minutes. Fail.  My trainer had us start working on getting a good canter, with appropriate bend, rather than just cantering to be cantering.  I have such mixed feelings on this: we need to canter for conditioning, but I don't want to encourage certain unsavory canter habits that we need to work out.  I think conditioning canter of any kind has to wait until we're outside.

3. Pull his mane??  HAHA, I was such a naive optimist!  It didn't hit 50 degrees until late February.

I really admire those of you who do monthly or weekly goals, or even have individual ride goals.  My goal every day is to feel, to think about what I'm feeling, and to work on what we worked on in my last lesson.  That's not very good of me.  Anyway, I could hardly remember what my goals for 2013 were.  I had to look back.

Miraculously, I actually succeeded in most of them without remembering what they were.  My year just happened that way, shaped by Connor's progress and Nick's unemployment.  They were:

Getting outside, our recipe for not getting fried.

I am so excited to write this post! I'm still pretty green to this whole owning a sport horse pony thing, and so the last two years my goals have been more vague dreams than concrete goals.  I didn't know what Connor would be capable of, or how fast he would progress, and that made goal setting hard.  Two years in, I know how to set concrete goals that will make us reach and give us something to work for while still being attainable.

1. Show First Level Dressage
I thought this would be a reach, but my trainer gave me an emphatic "Oh yeah, you'll get there this year."  Even if this occurs on the last day of 2014 at a schooling show, I'll be happy.

Baby Dressagin', 2012

2. Go Beginner Novice
So much goes into this - jumping higher, schooling XC more, learning the new 2014 Dressage tests, buying hind boots, but we're ready to move into legitimate eventing territory.  We'll go starter for one event before moving up.

Make those jumps bigger, the Cob Jockey team isn't afraid of flowers anymore!

3. National Dressage Pony Cup - Training Level (and also show at the KHP for the first time)
This is my big goal for 2014!  It's a ponies-only Dressage competition held at the KHP in conjunction with MSEDA in September, and Connor's full sister has done really well in it for multiple years now.  For AA Training Level, we would show Training test 2 and 3, which means I'll spend the spring and summer focusing on cleaning up the basics of our Dressage - better figures, better transitions, more accurate riding - and that can only help everything else.  I would like to be showing Training and schooling First most of the year.

(We should make it a full-sibling party - Nicole, you and Comrade should come too!)

Connor's full sister cleaning up at the NDPC a few years ago.

It's going to be a Dressagey year for us, and my Dressage-focused eventing trainer is totally on-board.  We've seen that better Dressage means better jumping for us, and better Dressage + better jumping = finishing on your Dressage score in eventing.

To borrow a line from my high school cross-country (running) teammate and friend Robyn, (she's an ultrarunner with a cool blog - non-horsey, but highly recommended):

A goal properly set is halfway reached. – Zig Ziglar  

It’s Day 1 of 2013 and time to set SMART goals. If you’re in the corporate world, you might recognize it. In case you’re not familiar, SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-sensitive. As much as I hate to admit to it, it’s a decent approach to ticking off goals.

I also teach a class at my gym and I'm regularly encouraging my clients to set meaningful goals - don't say "lose weight", say "come to class at least 3x per week" or "fit into my size 8 jeans" or "run a 5k in under 30 minutes".  Time for me to practice what I preach!

Things that pony will see a lot of in 2013: the side of the barn's trailer.

If I keep telling myself we're blessed to live in such a great place for trail riding, will it suddenly not be 5 degrees outside anymore like it is right now?  KTHX.

Baby Connor and his breeder, Lisa.

I mentioned that my husband asked me why I don't show more last week. After all the penny-pinching I've done and all the times I've gone out of my way to minimize my time spent at the barn, my first thought was "YES!  It's working!"  My second thought was blank, as in, stunned silence.  Nobody's ever asked me why I don't do more with my horse before.

"Well, he's still pretty green, and I've put my money into good clinics and training opportunities this year.  I do plan on showing more in the future, but..." *insert itemization of how much it costs to show at a recognized event here*

"Okay," he said, "That's fine, it's coming out of your paycheck anyway [That's our prearranged agreement], but I still think you should have something to show for all the effort you've put into him.  And," he teased, "I want to be able to tell my coworkers 'My wife spends all this time and money on this pony and won her division last weekend' instead of 'My wife spends all this time and money on this pony and...?"

Ah, testosterone, where would we be without your ability to incite a competitive drive even in men only mildly related to the competition itself?

"What are your goals?" he asked when I didn't respond.

"Well..." I said slowly.  I had never said this out loud to anyone before.  "I want to qualify for and compete at the American Eventing Championships on Connor someday several years from now."

"See?  That's a great goal!"

"It's far away."

"Okay."

"It's really expensive."

"Okay.  You know we won't be buried in student loans forever, right?"  Cue money discussion with lots of dewy-eyed hope for the future.

So there it is.  My husband wants me to show more, and is on-board with my pipe dream of making it to the AEC's on my barely-a-large-pony.  Woo!  That doesn't really change my plan for Connor, besides putting a slight tinge of possibility to what had been a completely out-of-reach dream before. And also, it makes me want to buy a trailer...

Short term goal: two recognized BN events in 2013.  Stay tuned!

All of the equine blogs I follow have one thing in common:  all of the writers have horses and are taking lessons.  This enables them to write introspective blog posts about 2010 and goal posts for 2011.  Me?  I'm a more challenging (read: boring) read since I don't have a horse.  Nonetheless, I did accomplish some things in my riding life this year, and I have goals for next year, so here goes:

In 2010 I:
- Joined the jump team in my final semester at college, showed at the last regular season show on Einstein, did terribly and spent a good half hour crying behind the equipment barn at Black Dog Farms.
- Started the semester on Simon, whose flaky tendencies almost made me gave up jumping.  This culminated in an epic emotional breakdown during jump team practice one Friday, in which I was sobbing on Chance's back after he took off bucking after a jump.
- Along those same lines, the first 20+ rides of second semester that I had included a buck, spook, or colossal freakout of some sort.  On several different horses.
- Got put on Bubba and finally started enjoying riding and feeling comfortable over fences again.
- Broke Shae, and I can't even begin to tell you how important that was to my development as a rider.
- ...which led me to meeting Lisa Brezina of Castleberry Cobs, a friendship that has changed my life and my perspective on the horse world.
- Graduated college, continued working for the College, was able to keep baby Shae at the College all summer.
- Bought my beautiful Beval saddle after I realized I would only keep getting rides from breeders if I had my own saddle, which ended up fitting the Cobs perfectly
- Met Allyn McCracken of Bannockburn Farm and was offered a house and barn on her property, but had to turn it down because Nick works just a bit too far away.  Biggest disappointment of my life!

In 2011 I want to:
- Find a good lesson barn and begin taking weekly (ideally Dressage) lessons.  Until I find a place to ride, I can't really set any riding goals.  It's that hard to find a place around here.
- Pay off my car (or at least come close) so that I can buy one of Lisa's Cobs (this may not happen until 2012, but I'm working on it!)
- Continue the search for the boarding barn I'll need eventually.
- Get some new breeches!  All of mine have holes in them.